Udon Thani’s red-shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana (Sarakham) has urged red-shirt followers to each donate one baht to set up a 500,000 baht bounty for the arrest of anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.

He said Friday that anyone who could arrest Suthep, secretary-general of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, would receive the 500,000 baht reward, a courtesy of northeastern red-shirt followers.

The red-shirt leader charged that Suthep, the Democrat party, independent organization and some academics had conspired to prevent the February 2 election from taking place, hence it was necessary for all red-shirt followers to come out to protect democracy.

Kwanchai said he would stage a parallel protest in Udon Thani starting on January 11 and had invited members of the Nitirat group to join and to give a lecture on democracy.

He disagreed with the call by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship for red-shirt followers to travel to Bangkok to join the counter-protest against the PDRC. If there is a coup in Bangkok, red shirts in upcountry provinces can still carry on with their activities and can reject the coup makers, he explained.